The Fear of Being Left Behind
by etoilegyrl
Summary: Love is eternal. His lover's life is not. Could he handle the loss of another? Valenwind.
1. Coffee and a Kiss

Author's note & Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or Community Coffee. This story will eventually have a plot, I promise. R & R please.

/Vincent/

I opened my eyes and winced involuntarily as the sunlight hit them. I've been rising with the sun for the past eighteen years, but I still haven't gotten used to the glare. The rising sun fascinates me. After all those years in my self-imposed prison without light of any kind, I'll never take such simple things for granted again.

A loud noise right by my head interrupted my thoughts. I turned my head slightly towards the source and allowed myself a small smile as I watched my lover sleep. He looked so, dare I even think it, adorable when he was sleeping. Just seeing him like this made me forget about the smoking and cursing and yes even the snoring as annoying as they can be.

What a beautiful creature he is, I thought as I gazed at him. Sometimes I wonder if one day I will wake up in the ShinRa mansion basement only to find that this has been nothing more than a dream. I slowly disentangled myself from his embrace and sat propped up on one elbow. I used my other hand to tentatively run my fingers through his hair. He didn't stir. I frowned slightly at the sight of more gray tainting his sandy blond hair and kissed him softly on the lips. As I lifted my head, I noticed the clock on the nightstand. Time to get up. I sighed and forced myself to leave the bed. The hardest part was walking out the door. I tried not to look as I headed for the kitchen.

/Cid/

Nothing. "What the fuck?" I said aloud. I felt around blindly, but found nothing. My eyes opened and saw that he was gone before they immediately reclosed from the blinding sunlight. I rubbed my eyes and was about to panic when I smelled the faint scent of dark roast coffee coming from the direction of the kitchen. "He's still here," I whispered. I have this almost irrational fear that one day I'll wake up and he'll be gone forever. I shudder just thinking of the possibility.

After a long period of just sitting, I decide to get up and make my way to the kitchen. The coffee better be ready. I prefer tea , but it just isn't strong enough for this early in the morning.

As I enter the kitchen, I see him standing by the sink with a sponge in one hand and a plate in the other. Imagine that, the oh so scary ex-turk washing dishes. Everyone would shit themselves and faint if they knew. He looked so domestic and yet so damn sexy standing there in his dark red silk pajama pants. All he needed to complete the look was an apron, preferably just an apron, or better yet nothing at all. I tried to suppress both my giggle and the urge to jump him right then and there, but only managed to do the latter.

It was then he turned around and shot me an amused look with those hauntingly beautiful eyes. "Like what you see?" he asked casually.

/Vincent/

I could feel him watching me as I washed the dishes. He finds me attractive for some reason. As time has went on, I'm starting to allow myself to enjoy the attention, but the Wutai in me still has me slightly embarrassed and ashamed of it. I pretend not to notice him standing there to let him think that he's actually snuck up without me knowing that he's there, but after hearing him suppress a laugh I could pretend no longer. I put the plate I was rinsing away then turned around and asked jokingly, "Like what you see?"

He almost fell out of the doorway in shock when he realized I knew he was there. "Hell yeah, I do. Now where's my goddamn coffee?"

"Right here," I replied. He dropped down in his chair waiting expectantly and very sleepily for his mug. As I brought it over, I took the open opportunity to ogle him. He always came to the table in the mornings wearing only his boxers. I had to admit that I would be sorely disappointed if he ever decided to get dressed before his first cup of coffee. I sat it down in front of him and brought over the pot and a tray with the cream and sugar, knowing that it would take at least two more cups before he would be a completely functioning person. I got my own cup off the counter and sat down in my usual place, directly across from him.

/Cid/

I felt him staring at me and stopped downing the hot drink just long enough to demand "Are you picturing me naked?"

"No, of course not," he replied, but the gleam in his eyes and the small smirk he tried to hide gave him away.

"Yes, you are!" I exclaimed. "But that's okay, I don't mind, not one fucking bit." He put his head down trying to cover his face with his long hair, but I caught the faint red tint before he could hide it. "Are you blushing? Aw, shit, I didn't mean to embarrass you. If it makes you feel any better I was thinking about you naked too."

He lifted his head and smiled. "I know you were," he said. Dammit, I couldn't resist anymore. I got up out of the chair so fast it went crashing to the floor and before he could say anything else, I was already around the table kissing him passionately.


	2. Our Morning Routine

About thirty minutes later...

/Vincent/

I dumped the last bit of broken glass in the garbage can and closed the lid. "We really should stop using breakable dishes," I said. I turned and surveyed the remainder of the damage. All of the dishes and things I had set out had been swept to the floor, and most of them shattered on impact. I made a mental note to call Tifa or maybe Shera, whichever one I didn't call the last time to ask them to find a suitable replacement. A couple of chairs were overturned, but there was nothing wrong with them so I just sat them back up and tried to avoid the sticky sugar that covered the floor.

As I mopped the last of the coffee that had been slowly taking over, I felt something scratching my stomach. I looked down and saw the tag of my pants sticking out. I had put them back on backwards. I smirked thinking of the reason I took them off in the first place. He just left for his mid-morning run a few minutes ago. Usually I go with him, but on mornings like this I have to clean up the mess first, otherwise it'd be fairly putrid in here. At least I had convinced him to put shorts on before he left. If left alone, he'd be quite content to just go out completely nude, a sight I don't mind seeing, but I don't think the other inhabitants of Rocket Town enjoy it.

I go upstairs to change and decide when I get about halfway that I'm not going to wear the cape. I have a desire to feel somewhat normal today. The color of my eyes can't be helped. I've tried color contacts, all the colors contacts come in, but none mask the red. No matter. Most people here are somewhat used to me now, meaning they no longer make religious themed gestures in my direction or run away screaming in fear dragging their children behind them. I choose my attire and quickly get dressed.

As I pass the kitchen on my way out, I think about the events of just a little while ago. Its a quite common occurrence at breakfast, just as some people eat pancakes and read the sports section. I guess it could be called our morning routine.

/Cid/

The sun felt pretty damn nice on my back as I ran. Just hot enough for me to be warm without feeling like I was being burned alive. I run everyday along this route and have done so for the past thirty years except for when I was helping Cloud and the rest of Avalanche save the world. Even my contract with the WRO doesn't prevent me from this. Five miles from town limits to the beach and the same distance back.

Fuck. Its boring not having Vin with me. He doesn't talk much as we go and almost makes no sound as he moves, Turk training I guess, but there's something reassuring about his presence. I'd never admit it to him, but I feel kind of lonely when he's not around. I snickered as I remembered the reason he's not with me this morning. Things have a tendency to get messy during breakfast. At least it was just the table this time. One time the stove accidentally got turned on, and the ends of his cape caught on fire. I always remembered after that not to use a gas stove, the wall works much better and there's no fire hazard.

In the distance, I could start to make out the sand and the ocean just beyond it. A quick swim would be nice. The tourists weren't around at this time of day so it was perfect. I scanned the area as I approached searching for a place to put my shorts so they wouldn't get filled with sand and feel grimy on the way back. I was so engrossed in this that I didn't even notice that he was beside me until he spoke. "Thinking of going skinny dipping again, Highwind?" I grinned in reply and kept running. I used to wonder how he always caught up with me so fast and thought at first he just left the mess and later that he brought someone else in to do it. But no, he puts everything back in perfect order, then leaves and catches up with me without even breaking a sweat.

We finally made it to our destination. I stopped and took the opportunity to just look at him. He was wearing an untucked black button-down shirt and pants to match and had a black headband much like his old red one to keep his hair out of his face. The overall effect was very simple and devastatingly sexy at the same time. He caught me ogling him and acknowledged it with a raised eyebrow and a small smile and said, "Go on, there's time, but don't stay in there too long." I kicked off my shoes and headed for the water.

/Vincent/

I shook my head as he dove in. He didn't even bother to take his shorts off this time. I stood watching as he splashed around yelling for me to come join him. I didn't give in, as tempting as it was to do so, but I knew that if I did we'd stay much longer than we should. It would be fun, but we'd also be late, and there would be a lot of people pissed at us. We were heading to Edge for a week for, as far as Cid knew anyway, a WRO conference. That was a part of it of course, but there was much more. Tifa, Shera, and Marlene were in charge of it, but we were all in on it. My orders, yes orders, Tifa can be quite commanding at times, were to make sure Cid didn't find out and to get him to Edge on time. The actual party wouldn't be until tomorrow, but there were still preparations to be made and legitimate WRO business to take care of.

It was time to leave. I told him this and got back a string of curses mixed with an almost childlike "Just a few more minutes?" I almost relented, but then I thought of the wrath of the three women in Edge and decided against it. He finally got out of the water and came towards me muttering something under his breath. I handed him a towel so he could dry off. In a show of unusual modesty, he motioned for me to turn around so he could get out of his wet shorts. I stood looking out at the water as he dried off, then turned around when he tapped me on the shoulder to hand him his clothes. He was wearing the towel I had given him wrapped around his head. So much for modesty. I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh as I handed him his clothes. He got dressed and I handed him my cell phone. He called the Sierra crew and told them to be ready to head to Edge, that we were on our way there now. We headed back to town at a leisurely pace. I stopped at the house long enough to drop off the wet clothes and pick up our bags. When I arrived at the airship, one of the junior crew members took my luggage and informed me, "The Captain's already inside, sir." There was no need to elaborate. I went straight to the bridge. There he was, giving orders and looking every inch the powerful leader. When he saw me, he flashed a brilliant smile and asked, "Ready to go?"

Notes and such: Once again, I don't own Final Fantasy or any of its wonderful characters. If I did, do you really think Cid would have named his airship the Sierra? And also, things aren't going to be fluffy and happy forever. It should start to fade in the next chapter and be gone for a while after that. The rating will probably change soon. Be looking for the next two chapters: The Party and Nightmares (not necessarily in that order or with those names) sometime this week hopefully...


	3. Sunsets Fade

**Chapter 3: **_Sunsets Fade into Nightmares (part 1 of 2)_

**/Cid/**

I gazed at the darkening sky ahead and noticed the faint lights in the distance. Edge. It wouldn't be much longer until we got there. I didn't see or hear him approach until I felt his hand slip into mine. I turned to look at him and smiled. To the crew, it looked like we were just standing by each other. Vin's the master of subtlety. Must be from all that Turk training. Gaia knows its come in handy a lot less innocent than holding hands in font of the crew. I noticed that he was wearing his cape now for some reason. Seconds later, I found that reason as he shifted a little closer to me and guided my arm under his cape and around his waist.

Screw subtlety I thought as I used my free hand to undo the clasp holding the cape and let it fall to the floor. I kicked the the crumpled fabric out of the way, taking just enough care not to get a footprint on it. I didn't want to die today, or something even more lethal like forced celibacy. He looked calm, but his eyes betrayed his worry. The crew was mostly new, how would they react? He didn't want them to lose respect for their captain because of him or decide to mutiny. A dead crew would be a horrible birthday present. Vincent opened his mouth to protest, but I quickly pulled his head down and silenced him with a kiss.

After I pulled away, I grinned at him and said, "Most of them know already and if they didn't, they do now and I don't give a flying fuck about who knows or what they think about us. All I care about is what you think." With this I walked over to my seat. Before sitting I gave the necessary orders to get us into Edge without anymore assistance from me. I then sat down and pulled Vin onto my lap. He moved slightly so that he was against me and sighed contentedly. We sat there quietly for a while just watching the sunset. After awhile I looked down at him only to find that he was asleep in my arms. He's so damn pretty when he's sleeping, its almost inhuman. Almost like an angel I thought as I stroked his ebony hair. And after all this time he's never changed. I'd never tell him about it, but I always get scared that one day he'll decide that I'm too old or too... male and leave. If he did, it would completely destroy me. I may look and sound like a strong guy and I guess I normally am, but I just wouldn't be able to handle it if that happened.

Just then a message came in. It was Reeve, requesting that we meet him at Fort Condor. There was a meeting of the WRO that I was supposed to attend with him upon arrival, something I didn't know about until just now. After getting the details, I ended the call and swore softly under my breath. I looked down at my sleeping angel and decided not to wake him. I stood up slowly and carried him to our room. For someone so tall and strong, he felt like a feather in my arms. I laid him down gently on the bed taking off his shoes and shirt. Instead of giving into temptation, which would have led to me being late and a lot more problems than I wanted to deal with, I just folded it neatly and set it aside. I pulled the cover over him and stood watching him sleep for a moment before brushing his hair aside and kissing his forehead. Dammit, I didn't want to leave, but I had to. Oh, well, the sooner I go, sooner I can get back.

A/N: _Just a bit of editing on previous chapters. I think I finally figured out where I want this story to go so expect new ones very soon. _


	4. Fade Into Nightmares

_Sunsets Fade Into Nightmares 2 of 2._

**/Vincent/**

I finally shook myself awake of the all too familiar nightmare that had invaded my sleep and shivered. Memories of the torture, mutilations, and rapes were once a constant nightly presence, but ever since I started falling asleep with Cid's arms around me, they disappeared. Until now. I shivered again and realized why. He wasn't here. I turned over and saw the emptiness where he should have been. It was impossible to tell if he'd ever been there at all because the bed was so wrecked from my thrashing. I glanced at the clock. We should be pretty close to Edge by now. He's probably down in the cockpit.

I disentangled myself from the sheets and pulled some random clothes from the suitcase. I quickly dressed and went upstairs. Most of the crew was sleeping except for the young pilot. He looked a lot like the one who flew us all around the world and into the crater all those years ago. I thought for a moment and remembered that this was his son. I walked behind the young man and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and let out a very unmanly shriek before recovering his dignity. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Valentine--"

I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "Where is the captain?," I asked, a bit more brusquely than called for.

"H-he just left a couple of hours ago muttering something about getting in his morning run before those fucking assholes decided to have another impromptu meeting. His words, not mine, sir."

I nodded and muttered a thanks, then turned and left without asking where he was heading. I already knew. For every place we go, Cid has an established running route. When we go somewhere new, he plans a route before we even land, usually by looking at photographs and maps of the area on the way, and with his own two eyes once we get close enough. 'The best cure for a hangover is a good run' he told me on many occasions. The best way to find Cid was to find the nearest body of water then work backwards to where he started from. He fits his sign quite well. He loves being in the water nearly as much as being in the air. I thought for a moment. We were just a couple of miles north of Fort Condor. He'd run past the fort and to the beach. There was this little secluded area with an awesome view of the water that no one else (to our knowledge) knew about. It was completely hidden from anybody looking at it from the land or air and could only be found after a fairly lengthy swim. We found it by accident many years ago after swimming out a bit to have some privacy from the rest of the group. That was a fun discovery. I smirked at the memory as I disembarked the airship.

I stepped off the ramp and basked in the sunlight. Bright and warm. The type of day that leads to finding Cid sunbathing nude and other fun things. I took off at a moderate pace which is a little bit faster than a dead run for most. It didn't take me long to reach the shore. The Fort Condor run is much shorter than most of the others due to the long swim that follows. I wasn't wearing shoes so I just went straight into the water and swam instinctively towards where I knew he'd be.

A few minutes later, I saw that familiar shape. Something wasn't quite right. As I got closer, the feeling got stronger. I swam faster and covered most of the remaining distance in seconds. I saw that he wasn't moving and with a final surge made it to him. I towed him to shore and got him out the water as quickly as I could. I turned him over on his back. His beautiful eyes looked empty. I began performing CPR praying for signs of life. There were none. No pulse. No heartbeat. None of that comforting warmth. I futilely continued the procedure for several more minutes before giving up. I knelt beside his lifeless body crying silently and shivered. It was getting cold. I looked up and saw that the sun had disappeared behind the clouds. Gone. I picked up my lover and cradled him in my arms. I closed his eyes and kissed his forehead. Then I began to scream.

**/Cid/**

Fucking pricks and their useless 3 AM meetings. All that just to tell that me that it was going to rain tomorrow and that they're changing the WRO uniform from a cotton blend to 100 cotton or some similar worthless shit. Waste of time. Make me leave Vin for that shit? Bastards. I entered my other baby and had barely taken two steps in when I heard a noise. A bit muffled at first, but as I drew closer, I recognized a sound that ripped my heart apart. Vin was screaming. I ran to our room. He was writhing in the bed, asleep, but with a tortured look on his face that looked like his entire world had been destroyed. I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around him. "Vin, baby, wake up." I kissed the top of his head and held him tighter. He finally quieted and woke up. He stared at me like he had just seen a ghost and more tears slid down his pale cheeks. "I thought—dreamed, you were...It was so real...I thought I had lost you..."

I continued holding him and stroking his hair as he told me about his nightmare, trying hard not to let him see my own tears. I hate seeing him upset, and I know it would hurt him more to see me upset. He eventually fell asleep in my arms for the second time that night after asking me not to leave him and I assured him that I wasn't going anywhere, and if any of those WRO fuckers called again today, I'd tell them where to shove their fucking meetings without even leaving the bed. I sat against the headboard cradling him and thinking about things. I'm getting older. It'll be my fiftieth birthday soon. I realized that, barring some kind of miracle, one day I would leave him. It won't be by choice and won't be anytime soon if I have anything to say about it. I sighed and kissed him again then drifted off to sleep.

_A/N: Finally an update. :) This is a bit different than what I originally had in mind for this chapter, what was it...eight months ago? The other version was much more graphic and featured Vincent being tortured by Hojo in what would have been a tie into another story I lost interest in and didn't write. This version fits the story much better I think. So where do we go from here...Cid's birthday party of course! Hopefully the next chapter won't take quite so long and will hopefully be done well before the Captain's actual birthday. R&R if you wish (and I hope you do :) . It's been awhile since I've written anything, so I'm probably a bit rusty...not that my writing was ever well-oiled to begin with! Nonsensical linesstopping point. Right? Right. :)_


	5. Early Morning Memories

**/Cid/**

"Fucking alarm," were my first words upon awakening. "Gorram sun isn't even up yet." Suddenly there was even louder noise, then silence. The pistol in Vincent's hand was still smoking when I looked over.

He shrugged and grinned in response, then got up to go to the bathroom. It's a good sign that he seems to be in a better mood than last night, but the shards of the clock are going to be a bitch to clean up.

I feel so fucking guilty for leaving him alone last night. Reeve should have fucking realized... But gorramit, I don't like to think about that. I didn't care so much that he fucked Shera while we were married. That commitment was pretty much dead at the altar. One of the biggest fucking mistakes I ever made. Don't get me wrong she's a great lady and saved my sorry ass on multiple occasions, but she didn't deserve to get stuck with me. More of a best friend (sometimes with benefits) and housekeeper than a life partner. But anyway, my problem was Reeve was that he was also with Vincent at the same time. Going behind his back and shit. Behind Shera's too. She thought he wasn't dating anyone.

Tore Vin to fucking pieces when he found out. He was finally starting to love and trust again and that jackass fucked it up. Vin was gone for a long time. Locked himself in the same casket we found him in down in the basement of that cursed mansion. It was the first place we looked, only he had somehow managed to bury the casket with himself in it so we didn't find him.

I beat myself up for a long fucking time over not acting on the way I felt when we were on the quest to save the world from that psycho mama's boy. Didn't realize at the time that the powerful emotions I felt at the time were more than comradeship. By the time I got it through my thick skull, he was gone. Missed my second chance when the baby psychos came around a couple of years later and we all got together again. Too much of a coward to try by then. Saw him again a couple of years later, by then he was with Reeve. Ended up proposing to Shera on an impulse a couple of days later. I blew a lot more chances than most fuck-ups ever get. This time though it seemed like I'd lost him forever.

I covered every inch of the globe I could get to looking for him. Even took one of those damned chocobos around up in the mountains. It was an adolescent male with a sulky disposition. I named him Cloud.

After going every place I could conceivably go, I ended up back where I started. ShinRa mansion. Somebody should really raze the gorramed thing, but it's been declared a historical site or some shit. Fucktarded history professors with a finger up their ass and their heads in the clouds don't know jackshit about anything. It's not a place to be celebrated. ShinRa spin machine at work again. At least they're not holding tours and weddings in it yet. That would be fucked up, but it's been mentioned as a possibility before. A threat of a spear up the ass of the head of the Nibelheim (fake) History Preservation Society stopped that plan real quick.

After taking care of that bit of nonsense, I made my way through the haunted house. Danger this time wasn't so much the monsters of which there were very few, but the poor condition of the building. Holes in the floors, shit falling from the ceiling, cobwebs containing much larger than normal spiders, and so forth. Oh Shiva, I hate spiders. Tiny fuckers a minute fraction of your size that can kill you shouldn't exist. Ended up much messier than normal by the time I got to the stairs leading to the basement. Had a few new rips in my clothing courtesy of nails sticking out and the claws of a now dead monster which was nothing more than a mako-mutated wolf. Nibelheim is one of those places where you don't EVER drink the water if you're opposed to body parts changing in ways they weren't meant to. Ripped clothing is huge in Edge right now, so I'll be hot shit back home. On the cutting edge of fashion, quite literally.

Hit a broken stair bout four steps down. Tumbled down the whole fucking flight. Ended up with a sprained ankle and a shitload of cuts and bruises for the trouble. Had a little bit of curative that didn't get broken in the fall. Should go with plastic vials, but you can taste the plastic when you drink it. Makes it taste like rotten ass. Although they aren't the tastiest things by any stretch of the imagination.

Limped to the familiar room. Completely empty, just like last time. Sat down in the dirt and started to spill my guts. All the things I wanted to say to Vin that I couldn't muster up the balls for when I had the chance. That somebody really did care for him. And that Reeve was a fucking fool for treating him that way. And how I told him so, although I left out the part about how I left him in a fetal position after the beating I gave him. Rambled on about all kinds of things I kept hidden for hours. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried a bit. Okay, it was a lot. The asshole that first said men shouldn't cry needs a spear up his ass too. Preferably a rusty one dipped in chocobo piss. Keeping shit inside fucks everything up.

I finally finished talking and started to feel a bit silly for doing so. Nobody's here, so I'm talking to myself. Talking to yourself is a sure sign of being crazy. So I said a goodbye to the air and wall I was monologuing at and started to stand. That's when the ground started to shake.

**Notes and such:** Quite a long time between chapters. The problem I've had with this story is that I know the ending (kinda), but I don't have much of a middle. Finally got inspired. Thanks for all the reviews, btw. :)


	6. Mending Hearts and Ankles

**/Cid/**

"What the fuck?" I shouted as the floor rumbled beneath me. I tried to keep my balance, but found myself dumped unceremoniously on my ass by the quaking. I thought I saw a flash of red amidst the dust, but it was gone before I could tell for sure. The rumbles stopped and after a couple of false starts, I made my way to my feet. A sharp pain went up my leg and I promptly sat down again. "Fucking ankle, I completely forgot about it."

I sighed heavily and started digging through my many pockets for some sort of healing item I could use, so I could drag myself back up the stairs and out of this godforsaken mansion, when I noticed the hole in the floor. I crawled over and peered inside. The only thing in it was a recently (and quickly) vacated coffin. Shiva, I knew this was a mistake. Coming in here, pouring out my guts like a gorram fifteen year old twit confessing her love and lust to the cute boy next door who never knew she existed. What a fucking mistake. Who the hell do I think I am dumping everything on him? All I did was make him run away again. Dammit.

Something touched my shoulder lightly and startled me. I turned around and saw Vincent gazing at me with a concerned expression. "Highwind," he said gruffly with a voice rusty from disuse, "allow me to examine your ankle."

"I'm fine," I said. "I just twisted it coming down the stairs. It's a little sore, but I can walk it off." In my misguided attempt at bravado, I stood again and winced when I put weight on it. "See, I'm fine," I insisted.

Suddenly my ankle gave out completely and I fell. A pair of strong arms caught me just before I hit the floor. "You are not. Now, will you let me examine your ankle, or do you want to wait and bust your ass a few more times first?"

I rolled up my pants leg in response. My ankle was swollen to twice its normal size and had turned a rather spectacular array of colors. He examined it gently and efficiently for several minutes before pronouncing it broken. He pointed out the spot where the bone was protruding slightly, but had not completely broken through the skin.

"A break this severe normally takes around six weeks to heal, but if you allow me, I can attempt to mend it and reduce the recovery time to a couple of days of rest at most," he stated before looking away.

"Of course you can Vin. You know that I can't sit on my ass and do nothing for six minutes, let alone six weeks!" I exclaimed. Vincent just raised an eyebrow and pulled out a small leather sack from somewhere in his cape. He selected a small light blue orb and held it in his right hand. After a moment, the mastered healing materia appeared to be absorbed by his body and disappeared. His normally pale, calloused hand had transformed completely. It had a faint blue glow and felt cool and silky as he lightly touched my injury. I watched in amazement as my skin faded back to its normal color.

"Now I'm going to mend the bone. This process normally takes much longer, so you might feel a strange sensation as it happens. Just stay still for a moment." He wrapped a hand around my ankle where the bone had broken and closed his eyes. Within seconds I felt my bones moving, rearranging, and fusing. My skin continued to tingle from the touch long after he removed his hand. He drew the materia out of his hand and placed it back into the small sack. He returned his attentions to me after a short while and reexamined the ankle asking me to move it to assess its range of motion and the correctness of the fusion.

He stood and offered a hand to help me up. I stood, and then went through a few more ankle assessments. "Just take it easy for a few days and you'll be fine," he pronounced. I was walking back towards him when I saw panic briefly flash across his face and knew I had to act quickly before he was gone again.

I crossed the room with a speed I didn't have on a day when my ankle hadn't been broken as he turned to leave. "Gorramit, Vincent! Wait!" I yelled as he fled up the stairs. I followed and caught him just as he got to the top of the first flight of stairs. "Vincent, talk to me," I implored.

He gazed at me wordlessly, crimson eyes searching for something in my face. "Vincent, what the fuck is up with you?" I asked. "Talk to me. Tell me to go fuck myself or die in a fire or something, but don't just run away from me without saying anything. …Please?"

Still he said nothing. I sighed and moved to turn away so he couldn't see the tear threatening to come down and steal the last shard of dignity I had. That's when he tilted my head up gently with his hand and kissed me. A feeling much like a low level bolt spell ran through my body as I responded eagerly to him. Just as suddenly as it started, he pulled away from me and continued running up the stairs. I stood dazed for a moment touching my seemingly swollen lips in wonder and dismay before blinking the threatening tear away and chasing after him, again.


End file.
